TV ain’t what it used to be. With the dominance of digital cable, satellite TV, and now DVR, you don’t just watch TV, you control it! DVR has really come into its own over the last couple of years as many cable companies are now offering these recorders to their customers (for a fee of course). For people who aren’t interested in the offerings of the local cable company, many are turning to pre-built media center machines or even building their own. It is this very trend which spurred Microsoft to create their Windows Media Center Edition version of Windows XP. As the location computer’s environment changes, so must its interface and capabilities. This now leads us to the question: “What really makes a computer a Media computer?” There can be many answers to this question, but perhaps the most important feature is the ability to watch and record TV.

It is this very feature that I will be focusing on today. In my hands I have PowerColor’s new Theater 550 Pro TV Tuner card. This card should allow me to convert my regular old computer into a digital powerhouse, or at least I should be able to watch a little TV with it. This card should also allow me to listen to FM radio and input various video signals into my computer for editing. Included with the card is a remote which every self-respecting media jockey must wield. But enough talk, let’s kick back and watch some TV… err… I mean, test this card!